By: ArabLounge Staff

There are certain vitamins that every Arab should be taking—not only because of health, but because there are certain health deficiencies that can be caused by just your race and ethnicity.

Taking vitamins to help balance your health and making sure that you stay energized is not only imperative to living a long and fulfilling life, but also because these very vitamins are essential to the health of your hair, skin and nails.

Most people don’t know just how imperative it is to keep you daily vitamins in balance to stop loss of hair, brittle nails, acne, skin breakouts, and fatigue.

Just by taking a few vitamins or supplements, you can increase the luster of your hair, the strength of your nails, and how clear your skin is. The following is a list of vitamins that will do the trick, and something every Arab should be aware of:

1) Zinc/Iron: There are so many women who suffer from zinc and iron deficiency that it’s not considered to be as drastic a problem as it really is.

Zinc and iron are very helpful is eliminating white spots from nails, as well as increasing hair growth and keeping hair and nails shiny and strong.

Most women have the lowest levels of zinc and iron just prior to the menstrual cycles, and it’s important to remember to keep your increase your uptake around this time.

2) Vitamin D: Historically, many Asian and Arab women have very low levels of vitamin D, which can be produced either through sunlight or through dairy products.

Vitamin D is not only essential for hair and nail strength, it is also becoming widely believed to be one of the ways to boosting your immune system to help tackle cancers and other illnesses, something that is gaining traction as scientists uncover just how important the vitamin is to our health.

Staying in the sun for 10-15 minutes before applying sun block and eating plenty of diary products is a great way to boost your vitamin D levels, but most women are at such low levels, that 1200 mg capsules of Vitamin D should be taken until their numbers increase.

It’s also important to remember just how vital Vitamin D is to promoting bone strength as well, so that women don’t suffer from osteoporosis later in life, a big problem among aging Arab and Asian women.

3) Vitamin A: This is what you’ll need if you want clear skin. If you’re having constant breakouts and acne, and haven’t changed your eating habits, it could be due to low levels of Vitamin A.

This vitamin is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue, and without it, your skin will become flaky and itchy.

Vitamin A is usually found in large amounts in fruits and vegetables, especially in dark green vegetables, like spinach. It’s also used in creams that help reduce lines and wrinkles, so it’s easy to see how important this is to the healthy and beauty of flawless skin.

4) Prenatal vitamins: these tend to be more controversial because women who are often not pregnant take them to increase skin, hair and nail health.

Even though it is recommended just for women who are pregnant or who are about to become pregnant, women have realized that the vitamins and nutrients found in these pills, which include very high levels of iron and zinc, really bring out the best in their bodies.

Most women who aren’t pregnant only take these vitamins prior to a big occasion, such as a wedding or graduation, to boost the health of their hair and skin.

The safety risks are not high, as many women do take them without any problems in the short term, but in the long run, the high levels of the iron and zinc can lead to arthritis and damage to vital organs.